My Fairfax favorites right now are Saravana Palace, Mazadar Kabob, and Thai by Thai. At Mazadar Kabob, their baba ganouj is not made with tahini but with a large dose of smoked paprika that gives it a rich, deep almost chocolate color. At Saravana Palace, they make a few Chinese-Indian dishes like a chili paneer - very awesome. At Thai by Thai they cook with preserved lemon, stalks of peppercorns, and their Pad Cha is distinctive.